Currently, I am working on a fantasy-alternate history story set in 1485, at the time of the War of the Roses. Although I won't go into detail about the story itself, what I want to do is get John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, into a more 'prominent' position.
Firstly, for the sake of the story, does anyone know what these knights and earls would do 'between' battles (apart from getting battered at the local tavern)? I am planning on starting the story/TL from just before the Battle of Bosworth Field, preferably with the Duke of Norfolk resident in his castle at Framlington. Is this a plausible approach? I can't see any reason why he would not want to go home to chill out for a while before the onset of battle.
Do you know how long it takes for the Dukes to 'answer' the call to battle and assemble a decent army? I can find a lot of material on the battles themselves, but nothing on the run-up to the battles, and how sites were chosen, etc. Was Bosworth Field chosen out of convenience due to Henry Tudor marching out of Wales (and therefore a good collision point for advancing armies) or was there more to it? I am aware Richard III had a thing for Leicester, and supposedly visited the town frequently in the days before the battle itself.
My second question relates to the Howards themselves: How feasible is it for John Howard to challenge Henry Tudor for the throne in the event of surviving Bosworth Field? John Howard and Richard of Gloucester seemed pretty close, and John's death in battle appears to have been quite an emotional blow to Richard.
I have plans for the story series to later focus on Katherine Howard (OTL fifth wife of Henry VIII)... Where she leads an entirely different life.
Many thanks,
Twi